Shingeki no Christmas
by gardenofeden1
Summary: Christmas is around the corner and this year when a blizzard delays the Scouting Regiment's expedition, Hanji comes up with her next great idea: a Secret Santa. But during the season of giving, who's a jolly old St. Nick and who's a Grinch? Will the Scouts ever discover the true meaning of Christmas? And maybe someone will be getting kissed under the mistletoe this year [LevixHan]
1. Chapter 1

Shingeki no Christmas

Chapter 1: Secret Santa

Eren shivered as he crossed his arms and hugged his chest to protect himself from the biting cold. It was only early winter but the between the iron grey sky, the raging blizzard, and the gloom of the run down castle that was the Scout Regiment's safe house, he was more than ready for summer. The snow had been falling for hours and at least a foot of snow covered the ground making it impossible to go outside without getting frostbite. He and the his fellow comrades had been lounging around the dining area for hours and at this point he wasn't sure which would kill him first: the titans or his own boredom.

"What are we all sitting around here for?! We should be thinking of a way to get to my basement so we can get defeat the titans once and for all!" He exclaimed.

"Calm your tits, Jaeger. How about you do yourself a favor and head to your room and spend some quality time with your right hand," smirked Jean without looking up from the chair he was leaning back in.

"Yeah, Eren, with this snow, there's no way we'll be able to go on the expedition for at least another week," pipped Armin.

"Ugh..." Eren wasn't in the mood to deal with Jean's shit at the moment, so he just shot him a dirty look and returned to pouting in his seat.

"Oi! When's Squad Leader Hanji going to get here? She said she had an important announcement for us an hour ago!" said Connie.

"Maybe she forgot about us," said Sasha.

"No, I'm sure she's on her way. She probably just got sidetracked or something," replied Christa.

"Yeah, she probably found herself a hot titan and decided to give it blow job," smirked Ymir.

"Ymir! That's not nice!" Christa snapped.

"Like I give a shit," drawled Ymir. "But seriously, if I don't have to be stuck in this shit hole than I'm going back to my room. You coming, Christa?"

"I would wait, Ymir. She's coming in right now…" said Mikasa, breaking her silence. As if on cue, the door to the dining hall burst open and in walked Squad Leader Hanji closely followed by Captain Levi and Commander Erwin. Eren knew this was supposed to be an important meeting, but to have the two of them there too? What could possibly be going on?

"Hello everyone! So sorry I'm late but I had some last minute preparations to do for our latest team building activity!"

"Oh great…another one…" Reiner muttered under his breath. The last team building activity that Hanji had come up with involved the new recruits pairing up into partners and doing a trust fall. It went exactly how it sounded: terribly.

"Now, as you all know it's one week until Christmas! And with this snow, we won't be able to embark on the expedition we had planned so that will have to wait. But until then, no use in sitting around twiddling our thumbs. Erwin, Levi, and I came up with a wonderful way to spend the next week to make it productive and fun for everybody!"

"No, I'm pretty sure it was all your idea, shitty glasses," said Levi in a tone somewhere between boredom and disgust.

"Oh, ok I guess I can take all the credit then! Thank you Levi!"  
"Don't mention it."

"Anyway, as you might know over 2000 years ago, humans used to perform an ancient Christmas tradition time called a 'Secret Santa.' They would get a group of people together, write their names on pieces of paper, put them in a bowl, and everyone would pick one out. Whoever's name you pulled, you have to give them gifts for the week until Christmas without the other person finding out that it's you. On Christmas day, everyone finds out who was giving them gifts. Doesn't that sound like fun?!"

"Why's it called 'Secret Santa?" asked Sasha.

"What's a Santa?" asked Connie.

"Tch…you uneducated brats are hopeless. What do they teach you in school?" said Levi. "As you know, Christmas has always been a time for giving gifts to your family and friends. But over 2000 years ago, people believed that there was a powerful god named Santa who would bring them gifts if they left an offering of milk and cookies for him on Christmas Eve night."

"Wow…they must have had a lot of money to be able to afford milk and cookies!" exclaimed Christa.

"More like that Santa guy must have been a fat piece of shit if he ate everyone's milk and cookies. Does he know how expensive those are?!" said Jean in disgust.

"Watch your mouth, you little shit," snapped Levi.

"No really, that's kind of a weird explanation. It doesn't really make sense. If that was the real meaning of Christmas, why didn't we learn that in school? There must be some other reason for Christmas" said Armin thoughtfully.

"Well, all history lessons aside, we thought we could use this downtime for some much needed team bonding. I personally think it's much needed after the trust fall fiasco," said Commander Erwin, "with that said, without further ado, when your name is called, you will come up to the front, draw a piece of paper out of this bowl, and the person whose name is written on the paper will be the receiver of your gifts for the week. Hanji, would you do the honors?"

"Certainly, Erwin!" squeaked Hanji, "Christa Lenz, why don't you start out?"  
"Ok!" Christa skipped to the front of the room and reached her hand into the wooden bowl that contained the names of all her comrades. After rummaging around for half a second, she pulled one out, unfolded a yellowed slip of paper, and read the name scribbled upon on it in Hanji's nearly illegible scrawl. _Armin Arlet._ "Ok! Great! Thank you!" she squeaked as she folded the paper back up and put it in the pocket of her jacket and walked back to her seat.

"Excellent!" said Hanji, "Connie Springer, you next!"

"Alright whatever," Connie said nonchalantly as he walked to the front and picked the first piece of paper his hand touched. _Sasha Braus._ "Alright! Maybe this Secret Spanta thing won't suck so bad after all!" He exclaimed taking his seat.

"Good! Next, Eren Jaeger!" Eren wordlessly walked to the front of the room, shuffled the paper around and picked out. _Jean Kirschtein._ "UGH!" He scowled "I want another one!"

"Nope! No take backs, trades, or no shows allowed! Or you'll be cleaning castle with Levi every day until spring!" quipped Hanji.

"WHAT?! NO! I'm not give this person jack!"

"EREN!" Mikasa raised her voice over him and strode to the front. She grabbed his forearm and looked him dead in the eye as she said, "you will take what you get and be thankful for it. There are much worse things that could happen than giving a gift."

"Whatever Mikasa!" Eren had just about had enough as he stomped back to his seat and crumpled the paper up in his hand.

"I'm going next." Mikasa stated as she reached her hand into the bowl and pulled out a slip of paper. _Eren Jaeger._ Mikasa's eyes widened for a second and she hung her head to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Everything alright, Ackerman? Or are you just constipated?" Drawled Levi.

"Fine, sir," Mikasa said as she took her seat.

"OK! Next Jean Kirschtein!" Jean sauntered to the front and reached for the bowl. _Mikasa Ackerman._ He struggled to maintain his composure as he felt a grin tugging at the sides of his mouth and strode back to his seat wordlessly with a smile on his face.

"Armin Arlet!" Armin reached in. _Ymir._

"Reiner Braun!" Reiner stuck his hand in. _Christa Lenz._

"Annie Leonhart!" _Connie Springer._

"Bertholt Huber!" _Annie Leonhart._

"Ymir!" _Bertholt Huber._

"Sasha Braus!" _Reiner Braun._

"Alright! Levi! Your turn!"

"WHOA! I DID NOT AGREE TO THIS!" snapped Levi, "I said I'd help you organize the brats, not participate in these shenanigans!"

"Oh that's fine! In that case you can help me with research! I have A TON of things to catch up on this week! I have to begin the second round of sunlight deprivation trials on Sonny and Bean, document the field data I got form the pain experiment, and I think I'm SO close to a breakthrough in the communication trials so I-"

"Give me that," Levi said flatly, snatching the bowl out of her hand. He grabbed a piece of paper out and opened it. _Hanji Zoe._ He didn't bother to hide the look of disgust on his face as he folded the paper up and tucked it into the pocket of his pants. If he wasn't being forced to spend the week working on "research" with that bird nosed crack pot, he was being forced to shower her with gifts. Great. This was going to be a bang up week.

"OK! That leaves me!" Hanji put her and in the bowl and pulled out a slip of paper. _Levi Ackerman._ "Wonderful! This week is going to full of fun and Christmas joy!"

"What about you, Commander Erwin?" asked Christa, "are you not going to be doing this with us?"

Erwin laughed, "No, no. I have some important matters to attend to this week. So I won't be directly participating in the gift exchange. But if you need any help or inspiration, feel free to find me. I'd be more than happy to help."

"Alright! Well that concludes our meeting! I hope you all have fun this week and don't forget to keep your identity secret from each other!" with that her, Levi, and Erwin left the room.

"Well this has been fun, but I'm going to bed. If I'm stuck getting one of you losers something for Christmas, I might as well get some sleep to think up the perfect gift," said Jean sarcastically as he rose from his seat.

"Yeah I think we're going to tuck in too. It's getting late," said Reiner and he and Bertholt stood up.

"Me too!" said Sasha.

"G'night guys," said Connie. With that they all left the room except for Eren, Armin, and Mikasa who were still left alone at their seats in the empty dining hall.

"This is stupid. Why on earth should I waste my time giving a gift to someone I don't even like!" grumbled Eren.

"There's no point in complaining," said Mikasa, "you don't have a choice in the matter. Unless you'd rather spend the week cleaning with Levi. You know how that turned out last time." Just the thought of his last cleaning excursion made Eren shudder.

"Yeah it's not worth it," said Armin, "cheer up, Eren, it might be fun! Plus we haven't had a real Christmas since we left Shaganshina."

"I guess….I never really got the point of Christmas though. Who cares about getting gifts that you never use anyway? It's just an excuse to spend our money so that taxes can go straight into the King's pocket," Said Eren with a frown.

"I never quite understood it either. I heard long ago Christmas was meant to be a time of peace throughout the world," said Mikasa.

"Yeah, I heard something like that too," said Armin, "As interesting as it sounds, I highly doubt the stuff Captain Levi said about Santa is entirely true. I wonder what the real meaning of Christmas was, or is, rather…" he said thoughtfully.

"Well sitting here thinking about it isn't going to change anything. Regardless of whatever Christmas means, we still have to get presents for our people. Who did you guys get anyway?"

"I'm not telling you. That's supposed to be a surprise!" Armin replied with a sheepish grin.

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you're buying into that delusional woman's ideas now!"

"I'm not! But it would ruin the fun!"  
"Ugh fine, whatever, you're no fun! Mikasa, who'd you get?"  
"What?! Oh, um no one," Mikasa said trying to hide the blush that began to creep across her face again, "you…you'll find out at the end of the week."

"You guys are lame! Whatever I'm going to bed too. I'll see you in the morning," said Eren, getting up to leave."  
"Hey! Wait for us!" said Armin as they left the dining hall and headed to their respective rooms. For better or for worse, this next week would be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone! I didn't do an introduction on my first chapter because, well, I'm new to this site and I was still trying to figure out how everything worked. So anyway my name is Jodie and this is my first fanfiction! I got the idea for this as I was listening to Christmas music and "packing" for a family vacation to NY. I'd never really thought much about writing fanfiction but I was so hooked on the idea so I figured I'd give it a shot. With that said, let me know how I'm doing! Message, review, and follow for more!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own Attack on Titan or any of the characters. Nor do I own** _ **Great Expectations**_ **,** _ **Catcher in the Rye, Oliver Twist,**_ **or** _ **The Night Before Christmas**_ **.**

Chapter 2: Basements and Boxes

6 Days till Christmas

Eren yawned and stretched as he looked about the hazy darkness of the dungeon cell that was his room. At was still about an hour before down and although the blizzard appeared to have died down some, the soft howl of the wind could still be heard from the cracks in the stone walls. Eren got up, picked up his clothes, and walked quietly up the stairs to the men's bathroom. He showered changed, and then made his way to the dining hall where Annie, Bertholt, and Reiner were already sitting in silence, waiting for breakfast to be served. "Morning," he said with a yawn.

"Morning," Reiner replied. Bertholt nodded in Eren's direction. Annie didn't look up. Eren took a seat across from Reiner.

"Have you guys thought about what gifts that you're going to give?" asked Eren.

"Sure have. Bertholt and I figured we'd get ours out of the way. We already got them all figured out and wrapped up," said Reiner.

"Wha-?! Where did you find gifts in a place like this?!" exclaimed Eren.

"In an old cellar we found in the castle," said Bertholt, "This place is way bigger than it looks on the outside. It's got a cellar full of some pretty cool stuff that must have been here from when the Scout Regiment first used it as an HQ."

"Huh…Maybe I should look into that….where did you find it?"

"Over in the east wing past the girls' bathroom," said Reiner, "make a right and there's an old door at the end of the hall that will take you down a flight of stairs. It leads to the basement. The whole room is full of boxes. It's pretty cool."

"So when are you planning on giving your gifts?"

"As soon as we get the chance," said Bertholt.

"Yeah, and by that you mean the perfect moment" said Reiner nudging Bertholt in the ribs. Bertholt blushed and remained quiet. "Anyway, if you want to find a gift or two for your person, you might want to go there now before everyone else gets the good stuff."

"Thanks! I'll check it out!" Eren said, getting up and heading out the door. Just as Reiner said, past the girls' restroom there was a long hallway with an old wooden door at the end that lead to a long, dark stair well. Eren reached into his pocket and lit a match to help him see through the gloom as he walked cautiously down the stairs. At the base of the stairs, Eren gazed around the room in awe. The basement was huge and contained wooden boxes piled high up to the ceiling. He grabbed a candle that happened to be sitting on one of the boxes and lit it just as the flame on the match was about to singe his fingers. He pulled out a knife and pried open the lid on the nearest box and began the long, arduous process of searching for a gift.

About an hour later, he still had not found a suitable present. " _This is nuts!"_ He thought, _"At this rate I'll be here all day! Plus, I don't even know what to get for this guy. What does Jean even like besides being a pain in my ass? Fuckin horse face…his nasty ass should go sleep in the stables where he belongs…"_ At that moment, Eren moved an old hat aside from the box and saw the perfect gift. A sly grin crept across his face. He knew exactly what he was going to do for Jean's gift. He grabbed it and dashed up the stairs.

Levi strode down the hall. He had never been one to enjoy being inside and this weather was killing him. He had taken to wandering the halls to pass the time. Even if it they were the same halls he saw every day, just being able to stretch his legs helped him keep his sanity. He was just beginning to feel relaxed when-

"Good morning Levi!" said an all too familiar voice behind him. Hanji. Fantastic.

"What are you doing here, shitty glasses?" replied Levi as he kept walking.

"Oh you know, a little bit of his and a little bit of that. I finished some documentation earlier so I thought I'd see if you'd be interested in helping me with Sonny and Bean's pain trials. I can't think of anyone better at inflicting pain than you!" said Hanji as she walked along beside him.  
"You got that right."

"So you'll help me then?!

"No."

"Oh don't be like Levi! You know, this weather is the perfect thing for my trials. It I can't wait to see how they react to the cold!"

"I don't care. Do you ever do anything besides your 'research'?"

"Well…I sleep, and eat…and sometimes I shower."

"You're filthy."

"And you've got a big piece of something stuck up your butt! Smile, Levi! It's almost Christmas! By the way have you thought about your Secret Santa gift?"

"No."

"Really?! Christmas is only 6 days away! You should hop to it! Not everyone likes getting brooms and cleaning products at this time of year, you know!" Levi had had enough. Who did this woman think she was? She would never know about the filthy slum where he grew up. Or that to him, a clean room was a sign that he was no longer a slave to the underground city. She would never know he had been so poor he had never even had a Christmas. Or that he had never received a Christmas gift in his life. But she didn't know that. She didn't know him and she never would. He spun around, grabbed her by her long brown ponytail, and glared at her as he said,

"Listen, shitty glasses, what I do with my time is none of your damn business. So listen and listen good. I am going to get whatever the hell I want for my person for Christmas and then I'm never celebrating Christmas again. I hate Christmas. I always have. If it wasn't for your stupid little idea, I wouldn't even be celebrating Christmas. So next time you want to get in my way, don't. Got it?"

Hanji nodded nervously. What got into him? Was it something she said? "G-got it…" she stammered.

"Good. I'm leaving now."

"Levi, wait!" she called after him but he had already stormed off down the hall leaving her alone in the musty hallway. "Geez…what a grouch…" she muttered as she walked off in the opposite direction.

It was now mid-morning and the dining area was buzzing with activity. Armin and Mikasa were sitting side by side eating breakfast when they saw Eren enter the room with a smile plastered across his face. "Hey Eren! You're in a good mood. I'm guessing you got your present taken care of?" inquired Armin.

"You got that right! My person is getting exactly what they deserve…." Replied Eren with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "What about you guys, have you gotten your gifts yet?"

"No, not yet. We're waiting for the weather to die down before we go into town to look for presents," said Mikasa.

"Oh! That's what I meant to tell you guys! There's this awesome basement downstairs that's full of cool stuff! You can find some awesome presents down there. That's what I did."

"Really?!" said Armin, "Wow, that's amazing! This place must be older than it looks. I wonder how old the stuff down there is. Are you sure it's still in good condition?"

"Of course I'm sure! Come with me and I'll show you!" said Eren.  
"Ok, let's stop by my room first so I can get my candle. I'm sure it'll be dark down there," said Armin. The trio walked back to the large makeshift bedroom that Armin shared with Connie, Reiner, Bertholt, and Jean. Armin walked over to his bunk bed and saw a beautiful wrapped green package laying on his sheets. "Look guys! I think I got my gift!" he exclaimed with excitement. Eren and Mikasa gathered around.

"That's so cool! Open it, and let's see what it is!" said Eren. Armin peeled off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a collection of leather bound books with faded gold lettering.

"What are they?" asked Mikasa.

"These…these books are really old," said Armin, " _The Catcher in the Rye…Great Expectations…Oliver Twist…._ They must have been written before the fall of mankind! This is incredible!" exclaimed Armin pulling them out one by one. The last book fell from the box onto floor and fell open.

"What's that one?" said Eren picking it up. He held it up and read the title out loud _"The Night Before Christmas…"_

Armin gasped, "These HAVE to be old then! This book might have some insight into the history of Christmas! Before the titans appeared! Maybe we can finally figure out what the true meaning of Christmas is!"

Before Eren and Mikasa could say anything, the door bust open. "Sup, losers!" said Jean as he strode into the room closely followed by Bertholt and Connie. In the crook of his arm he held a large red box. "I see you got your gift, Arlet," he said eyeing the book in Armin's hand, "well I got mine too. How about you, Jaeger, you get anything yet?"  
"Nope, not yet," said Eren doing his best to keep a poker face as he eyed the package in Jean's arms, "but why don't you open yous, I'd love to see it."

"Yeah, man, open it!" pipped Connie.

"With pleasure," said Jean. He ripped the paper off the package, opened the box, and a rancid smell filled the air.

"OH GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! IT SMELLS LIKE SHIT!" exclaimed Connie covering his nose."

"Because it IS shit!" snapped Mikasa.

Sure enough, the box in Jean's hands was full of wet brown horse poop. The note on the package simply read, "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal!"

"UGH! That's disgusting!" said Jean. As he went to sit on the side of his bed, he pulled back the sheet and let out a high pitched shriek. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" he screamed. Under his bed sheets was a horse's head with its mouth wide open. Jean scrambled back and he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his rear end. In his surprise, Jean dropped the box and the horse manure spilled onto his lap, soaking his pristine white pants with hideous brown stains. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" he shouted, "THIS IS FUCKING BULLSHIT! WHO THE FUCK DOES THIS?!"

"Calm the fuck down! It's just a mask!" said Connie pulling the sheet off the bed and holding the mask up. "For someone who talks big, you scream like a little girl, Jean!"

At that moment, Reiner walked in. "Hey guys! Oh god, what's that smell?" he said.

"Jean's Christmas present," smirked Connie.

"This is fucking stupid! I'm telling Hanji! Whoever the fuck did this is going to get it!" screamed Jean

"Slow your roll, tough guy," said Reiner, "I'm sure there's some kind of explanation behind this."  
"What the fuck do you know?! Did you get SHIT in your gift box?! How do I know it wasn't YOU who put it in there?!"

"What the hell?! ME?! Why the hell would I do that?" Reiner said, taken aback.

"So it WAS you then!" screamed Jean as he grabbed the collar of Reiner's shirt and pulled his face just inches away from his own.

"NO IT WASN'T!" bellowed Reiner, "Now watch it, you filthy animal! I need to get my stuff," he pushed Jean off and strode over to his bed.

"Wh-…what did you say?" stammered Jean.

Reiner grabbed his bag and stood up, glaring at Jean, "I said, 'you…filthy…animal…need me to spell it out for you?" Jean stared at Reiner with his mouth open. Without another word, Reiner pushed past Jean and stomped out the door.

At this point Eren couldn't hold his laughter in any more. He grabbed Armin and Mikasa's arms and lead them toward the door. "We're leaving. Have fun with your shit, Jean!" and with that they were out the door. Behind him, Eren could hear Jean's agitated screams and he allowed himself one satisfied smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! I've been in New York these past couple of days so I've been having some difficulty finding time to write. BUT Christmas in NY has been the perfect inspiration for this fanfic. Also I was blown away by all the positive feed back that I've been getting about this so I just wanted to thank you all! I plan on finishing this story by Christmas so stay tuned there is more to come. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3: Teas and Trees

5 Days till Christmas

The next day, the blizzard had subsided and was now no more than a gentle flurry. The Scout Regiment had once again gathered in the dining room for breakfast. Eren took his usual seat with Armin and Mikasa.

"Morning guys," he said brightly.

"Morning!" replied Armin.

"Did you guys ever get your gifts?" Yesterday, Eren had led them down to the cellar and left them to look for their gifts in private.

Armin smiled, "sure did. We got wrapped up and hopefully we'll be able to give them tomorrow." All of a sudden, the door burst open and in barged Sasha with a haphazardly wrapped package in her hands.

"GUYS LOOK! I GOT MY GIFT!" she exclaimed placing it down on a table in front of the room. Everyone gathered around to see.

"Open it and let's see what's inside!" squealed Christa. Sasha was already two steps ahead of her and was tearing through the paper. Inside the box, was an assortment of dried fruit and several thick slices of jerky with a note that read "Merry Christmas from me to you!"

"AHH! I love it!" exclaimed Sasha as she bit ravenously into the jerky. "Dis is the beff Christmas eber!" she said with her full.

The dining hall filled with laughter. Levi, who was sitting on the other side of the room eyed the new recruits with disgust. He rose from his chair and walked silently out the door and down the hall to one of his favorite haunts: a secluded window seat in the west wing of the castle. What did he care about their stupid gifts? That wasn't the life for him. It never had been. It never would be.

"Morning, Levi," said a voice behind him. He turned around to see Hanji holding two cups of steaming hot tea in her hands. "I was hoping I could join you. And, uh, I hope you like earl grey." Normally Levi would have told her to take a hike but earl grey was his favorite.

"Be my guest," he said sarcastically. Hanji got the idea and sat down across from him offering him the tea. He took it and inhaled deeply. The warm, floral scent warmed his bones and awakened his senses.

"Look…um…I'm sorry about yesterday. I don't know what I said to make you upset and I know it's none of my business. So...uh…are we ok?" Asked Hanji.

Levi peered at her over his teacup, he never pegged Hanji as the apologetic type but then again he never pegged her to be anything but crazy. "Don't mention it," he said taking a sip of his tea.

"So…I was curious…you're originally from the Underground City, right? What was it like there? What was Christmas there like?"

Levi stiffened. "Dark. Dirty. People died of a sickness that stopped their legs from working every day. And as far as Christmas goes, it didn't. My father wasn't around and my mother…" his voice trailed off as he felt a lump in his throat.

Hanji looked at him with her big brown eyes and nodded. She appeared to understand. "I see. That must have been tough."

"Yeah…Whatever. It is what it is. Why are you so curious all of a sudden? Better yet, why are you so obsessed with Christmas?"

"Because we've been in the same regiment for a while now, we've been on more expeditions together than I can count, and I still don't know anything about you."

"What's there to know?"  
"Oh I don't know, what's your favorite color? What are your hobbies? What's something you always wanted for Christmas?"  
"There you go again, harping on about Christmas. What's it to you?"

"Well…to me Christmas is a time where we can all come together and share in the joy of giving. Like a family. I know it sounds silly, but I think it's a wonderful concept."

Was this the same Hanji who was always so….out there? What the hell had gotten into her? Maybe she was sick. "You're even more delusional than I thought, shitty glasses. But if you must know, my favorite color is blue, my hobbies are cleaning and training, and…when I was young there was this shop that had this porcelain tea set in the window. It was white with a gold trim and compared to the filth around me it was just so clean and beautiful. I just remember looking at it and wanting it more than anything else…." Wait. Why was he even saying this? The only other people to whom he had told that story were Farlan and Isabel.

Hanji gave him a small smile, "That sounds nice," she said taking a sip of her tea. Levi wasn't sure where this was going, but something about soothing tone of her voice, the tea, and the gently falling snow was oddly relaxing. Even calm. He gave her a ghost of a smile as he took a long sip of his tea.

"That answer all your questions, shitty glasses?"  
"For now, yes."

Levi laughed quietly, "That's a first." Together, they sat silently drinking their tea and watching the snow fall.

* * *

Back in the dining hall, everyone was chatting animatedly about their gifts and who their secret Santa might be.

"Whoever got me my present knows me so well!" said Sasha, "It has to be Connie! What about you, Mikasa? Did you get your gift yet? Who do you think your secret Santa is?"

"Um…no but I…" Mikasa blushed, "I think I know who it might be."

Armin reached into his bag and pulled out the book he had gotten yesterday, "guys, I read this book last night and it looks like Christmas used to be really big deal before the titans appeared."

"What do you mean? And what's that book you've got anyway?" said Reiner peering over Armin's shoulder, " _The Night Before Christmas…"_ he read out loud.

"Yeah," said Armin, opening the book to a colorfully illustrated page with a man in a red suit and white beard, "according to this book, this man was Santa. He wasn't a god. He was some kind of mysterious guy who would slide down people's chimneys on Christmas Eve and leave presents for children under this thing called a Christmas tree. He would fly from house to house on a sled pulled by eight reindeer."

"What's a Christmas tree?" asked Christa.

"Take a look," replied Armin as he turned the page and showed the rest of the Scouts a picture of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

Christa gasped, "it's so pretty!"

"What's the point of it?" drawled Ymir.

"I'm not entirely sure, but my guess is it was originally a beacon to attract Santa."

"I think it's a pretty cool idea," said Bertholt.

"Yeah, pretty stupid," smirked Jean,"That fat ass must have been blind and dumb. And how the hell did he fly? Reindeer can't fly."

"Fat and dumb. Yeah, I know someone like that," that Eren glaring at Jean.

"Anyway, I was thinking since the snow has eased up, we could make our own Christmas tree. You know, to get into the spirit of the original Christmas."

"You're kidding right? Where are we going to get one?" said Connie.

"How are we going to get it into the castle?" asked Eren.

"Well…you could turn into a titan and move it," said Sasha.

"Sasha, how big of a tree do you want?"

"You remember that forest we passed through on our first expedition that the REALLY big trees?"

"Sasha, I don't think that's going to fit in the castle!"

"There's a forest not too far from here that has some beautiful pine trees," offered Christa.

"The snows eased up some, we can just get the horses and one of the supply wagons," said Mikasa, "It can't be that difficult to move a tree."

"Yeah, you heard the woman! Let's go find ourselves a Christmas tree!" said Jean, smiling in Mikasa's direction. Mikasa ignored him.

The room filled with a resounding "yeah!"

Armin smiled, "alright everyone, let's grab our stuff and go!" With that, they all rushed to the door. They ran down the hall into the west wing where they passed Levi and Hanji sitting on a window seat drinking tea.

"HOLD IT! Where do you brats think you're going?" snapped Levi.

"We're going to get a Christmas tree!" pipped Connie.

"A what?" said Hanji.

"No time to explain, just come with us and you'll see!" said Eren.

"Wha-why you little-!" started Levi.

"Wait for us!" exclaimed Hanji jumping up from her seat to follow the new recruits. "Come on, Levi!" she said with a smile as she hurried to catch up with the recruits.

"But…I…" Levi sputtered as he was left alone. After a moment's hesitation, he sighed, rose from his seat and ran after them. "Ugh...Wait up, you brats!" he called out after them. How did he get himself into these things?

 **A/N: Thank for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it! I'll be posting more this week so follow and review. Let me know how I'm doing so far. It helps me write faster and constructive criticism is always welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay but I'm back! I hoped you enjoyed the last chapter. Like I specified in the description this is a LeviHan fanfic so I'm looking forward to developing their relationship throughout this. Also I want to give a special shout out to ShingekinoGuest for reading and reviewing what I have so far it has been a TREMENDOUS help in writing this. And as a s/n I have not forgotten about Erwin! He'll be playing a bigger role in the later chapters that I have in the works. This chapter picks up where the last chapter left off. It's a continuation of the same day. I just broke it up into two chapters because they were both kind of long. So anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Oh Christmas Tree

5 Days till Christmas

A brisk wind blew through the air has the Scouts journeyed out into the snow. By now, it had stopped snowing but a thick blanket of snow lay covered the ground, forcing them to trudge their way into the forest. They had with them one of the supply wagons, four axes, a pile of rope, and Levi's trusted horse leading the way. Together they made their way through the forest in search of the perfect Christmas tree.

"Oh! How about this one!" squealed Christa, pointing to a scrawny, half dead pine tree.

"Nah, too skinny," said Eren.

"How about this one?" pipped Sasha pointing excitedly to a three meter oak tree with a trunk about one meter in diameter.

"Too big," said Mikasa as they continued on their way deeper into the forest. Levi led the way. Partially so that he could guide his precious horse, partially so he did not have to participate in the new recruits' banter.

"Whatcha thinking about, Levi?" asked Hanji.

"Not being here," he replied giving her a sidelong look.

"Oh come on now! Don't you just love this weather! As a matter of fact, I tested Sonny and Beans' response to the cold and made the most surprising discovery! As one might expect the lack of sun makes the lethargic, but also the snow itself decreases their core temperature. Since their temperature was so hot and the snow was so cold, their skin began to evaporate like it does after they die. Of course, they healed themselves right away, but-" Hanji never got to finish her sentence as a snowball went whizzing by her ear.

"ACK!" Jean screamed as the snow ball hit him on the side of his face.

He spun around on heel and glared at Connie who was holding another snowball in his hand, "WHAT'S THE HELL'S YOUR PROBLEM?!"

"Oh come on, you ever seen snow before? Lighten up, Jean!" replied Connie with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Why you-!" suddenly, another snowball flew by missing Jean's ear by inches and hit Connie square in the face.

"AH!" Connie looked around stupidly. Sasha was pointing at him laughing hysterically.

"OH MY GOD! DID YOU SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE!" she managed to say between laughs, "You look so-AH!" a massive snowball the size of her head hit Sasha between her shoulder blades and she fell to the ground. Hanji stood behind her laughing.

Hanji cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Chaos ensued.

Ymir and Christa teamed up against Bertholt and Reiner. Bertholt covered his head while Reiner playfully threw a small snowball lightly at Christa's arm. Ymir retaliated by barraging Reiner with snowballs the size of her fist.

Annie hurled a snowball at Eren that Mikasa effortless blocked. Mikasa glared at Annie and pelted a snowball at Annie's shoulder. Annie gracefully dodged it and hurled two more at Mikasa. Mikasa slapped both snowballs out of the air and charged at Annie with a snowball in each hand.

Jean hurled a massive snowball at Eren. Eren grasped Armin by the shoulders and pulled him in front of himself as a human shield. Armin squealed as the snowball hit him in the face.

Sasha and Connie had given up on snowballs completely and were wrestling in the snow.

Levi stared unamused at the scene in front of him when suddenly, splat! A wet stinging sensation crept across his left cheek. He spun around to see Hanji pointing and laughing at him.

"You're too easy, Levi!" she laughed, "Oh come on! It's just a joke! Not need to get your panties all up in a- AH!" she screamed as a snowball hit her right side of her face. She wiped the snow from her glasses and saw Levi standing in front of her with a smirk on his face, a snowball in his hand, and a glint in his steel blue eyes that she had never seen before. Was it amusement? Was he having…fun?

"What were you saying, shitty glasses?" he smirked as he hurled the snowball at her. She turned and it harmlessly hit her hip.

"Yahoo!" she shouted pegging another snowball at Levi's ear.

Amid the confusion, Armin managed to slip a few feet away from the fight and into the shade of a tree. Snowball fights were never his thing. He sat down to take a breath and realized that the tree he was leaning against had a good sized trunk. Not too wide, and not too thin. He touched it. The bark was hard and healthy. He stood up and took a few steps back. Before him was a beautiful 7 foot tall spruce tree. It looked exactly like the one pictured in the book. He stared at the tree in awe. "This…is the perfect Christmas tree!" He whispered to himself. "Hey! Guys! I found it! I found our tree!" He shouted. Everyone stopped and stared.  
"It's….beautiful," breathed Mikasa.

"Yeah, so how do we get this thing back to the castle?" said Ymir.

"Leave it to me!" said Jean reaching for one of the axes.

"This'll be easy!" said Reiner as he and Bertholt each grabbed an axe.

"I'll handle this!" said Eren reaching for the last axe.

"No, Eren. You're going to hurt yourself," said Mikasa.

"Stop telling me what to do!" snapped Eren, "I've got this, ok?" he grabbed the axe and walked over to the tree. He, Reiner, Bertholt, and Jean stood in a circle around the tree.

"Alright, on the count of tree we'll take turns swinging. I'll go first and we'll rotate clockwise," said Reiner, "Three…two...one…go!" Reiner swung his axe and hit the trunk of the tree with a resounding thunk. Next, Bertholt swung his axe and hit the tree leaving a gleaming white mark where the bark fell off the trunk. Then Jean swung, then Eren. The sound of chopping filled the air and sweat began to bead from their faces despite the cold. Reiner, Bertholt, Jean, Eren. Reiner, Bertholt, Jean, Eren. They continued this way until they were red in the face and panting but they refused to give up. At last, Bertholt took the final blow and the tree began to sway unsteadily.

"Timber!" Reiner yelled jokingly as he and Bertholt moved quickly out of way. The tree swayed back and forth for a few seconds and then began to fall. But it didn't fall in Bertholt's direction like it should have. Instead, it fell in the opposite direction. Eren's direction.

"Jaeger! Watch out!" Shouted Jean. But Eren was frozen in place. Its shadow engulfed him, but he couldn't move. His legs turned to jell-o and he could do was stare at the swiftly approaching tree. "JAEGER!" It all happened in a fraction of a second. The tree came crashing down into the snow and Eren felt the wind knocked out of him as someone tackled him out of way and they went sprawling on the ground. He sat up, covered in snow. Dazed, he looked around to see Jean lying next to him, his nose bleeding from the fall and his face coated with a layer of frost. "You better…pft! Watch where you're stepping next time, Jaeger…" He said spitting out a glob of snow and dirt.

"EREN! JEAN!" a voice called out from behind him. "Are you guys alright?" it was Armin. The rest of the company had crowded around them.

"Yeah…we're good…" said Eren. He was a bit shaken but otherwise fine.

"Eren, what did I tell you? You almost got yourself killed!" snapped Mikasa grabbing Eren by the collar of his shirt.

"Relax, Mikasa. We're fine," said Jean. He stood up and brushed the snow off his clothes.

"You're lucky you had Kirschstein to save your ass, Eren," said Levi. "As much as I think you'd make a great pancake, I need your sorry ass alive."

"Right…" said Eren as he stood up.

"Well then, let's not stick around with thumbs up our asses. Get this tree back to the castle, brats."

Everyone got to work. They hauled the tree into the supply wagon and tied it down with the rope they had brought. They then set off in the direction of the castle. Eren was remained quiet for the rest of the walk back.

"You sure you're ok?" ask Armin.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…Just a little tired…" he said staring at his feet.

* * *

They soon arrived back at the castle and hauled the tree out of the wagon.

"So, where do we put this thing?" said Ymir.

"Yeah, it's heavy!" said Christa.

"Let's put it in the dining hall next to the window," said Armin. They hauled the tree into the dining room and put it up in the corner. The setting sun shone through the window draping the dining room in pink, purple, and golden hues. The light reflected off the droplets of moisture on the tree making it glisten in a thousand colors.

Christa started at it in awe, "It's beautiful!"

"Yeah, it is," said Bertholt, looking at the tree. Something at the base of the tree caught his eye. It was a package neatly tied with a gold ribbon. "Hey! Look! A present!" he said picking it up. Everyone gathered around to see. Bertholt looked at the tag "it's for you, Connie," he said holding out the package to Connie.

"Really?! I got my gift?!" said Connie excitedly, snatching the gift from Bertholt's hands. "Oh man! I wonder what it could be!" he said ripping off the paper. Inside was a brand new 3DMG harness.

"Whoa! Check this out!" said Connie holding it up.

"This is the kind that has precision balance so you can't lose your balance in midair!" said Armin.

"Ha! Whoever got you that knows you too well," said Jean.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" said Connie. Everyone laughed.

Levi and Hanji stood off to side watching the new recruits. "So how about now? Do you still hate Christmas?" said Hanji.

"Yes," said Levi flatly. He looked up at Hanji. She smiled and shook her head. He turned his eyes back to the new recruits who were huddled around the Christmas tree examining Connie's new harness. Did he hate Christmas? Yes. Was it starting to grow on him? Maybe.

* * *

 **A/N: so I hope you like it! Feedback is always welcome! :]**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I own nothing. I asked Isayama Hajime. He told me I needed therapy. He's probably right. But with that said, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Deck the Halls

4 Days till Christmas

The next day, the sun began to peek its head out from between the between the clouds. Small rays of sunlight streamed in through the windows and danced across the dingy walls of the dining hall where the Scouts had once again gathered for breakfast.

"You were right, Armin, getting a Christmas tree was a good idea," said Bertholt, smiling up at the majestic spruce tree standing in the corner.

Armin didn't say anything as he played with his scrambled eggs, "Yeah…I guess. It just feels like there's something missing though…" he finally said.

"What do you mean? The tree's perfect," said Sasha.

"I guess…it's just that…it doesn't look like the tree in the book. Here, let me show you," said Armin pulling _The Night Before Christmas_ out of his bag. He flipped through the pages till he found the one he was looking for: a picture of a tall, beautiful spruce tree decorated with colorful balls, tiny elves, fairy lights, miniature Santa Clauses, a red garland, and golden star at the top of the tree. "Look, this tree has all these little decorations on it."

"Well that's dumb. Who in their right mind hangs shit from a tree?" said Jean crossing his arms.

"Seriously, what are they?" asked Reiner, "whoever made them had way too much time on their hands."

"I think they're beautiful, don't you, Ymir?" said Christa.

"Sure, whatever," drawled Ymir, "But what's your point, Armin? You saying you want us to put shit on the tree?"

"Actually, yeah. I think it would be really neat. Also, look at this," he flipped to another page with an illustration of a brightly lit room decked out in red and green Christmas décor. A Christmas wreath hung from the door, stockings hung by the fireplace, holly and poinsettias adorned every surface, and a branch of mistletoe hung from the door frame.

"Whoa...that's incredible!" said Eren.

"It's beautiful. But why go through all the trouble to make this stuff?" said Mikasa.

"I'm still not entirely sure. But I think it might be nice to decorate the tree like the one in this book," said Armin, "and maybe even the rest of the castle."

"Yeah, but the castle's huge. How are we going to decorate the whole thing," said Bertholt.

"We don't have to decorate the whole thing, just the dining hall," said Armin.

"Even so, where are you planning on finding decorations like those?" asked Annie.

Armin paused, "there a bunch of boxes with some old stuff down in the cellar. I'm sure we can find something to decorate the place in there. And I've seen all of those plants growing in the field not too far from the castle," he said.

The Scouts thought about it for a minute.

"Why go through all this trouble for a holiday that we aren't even sure why it exists?" asked Jean, "It's one thing to do this Secret Santa thing because Hanji said so, but why are you pushing so hard to find out what it means? It's not like it makes a difference."

"Actually, I think it does," said Sasha quietly.

"Oh look, now potato girl has an opinion," said Jean sarcastically.

Sasha flushed, "Seriously! Can't we all just forget about that!" she said quickly.

"No, really, Jean, Armin may be onto something," said Mikasa, "My mother used to tell me that Christmas used to be a time of peace when everyone in the world joined together in harmony to celebrate the beauty of world. With the world the way it is now, who knows how long we'll be on this earth. Or how long we'll all be together for. We may as well enjoy each other's company while we have the chance. Otherwise some of us may regret it later when they're in a titan's stomach." The room got very, very silent.

"Wow. Way to kill the vibe, Mikasa," said Connie.

"She's got a point though. Might as well live it up while we're still alive," said Ymir.

"I guess so," said Christa, "I mean, I may not know what tomorrow will bring, but for now, I'm glad to be here with all of you, and I think a merry Christmas would be great for all of us."

"That's my sweet, Christa!" said Ymir, pulling Christa into an embrace, "so what are we all waiting around for, let's get decorating!"

* * *

The Scouts set about bustling around the castle looking for things to use as decorations. Reiner, Bertholt, Jean, and Eren had gone to look in the basement for ornaments; Annie, Ymir, Sasha, and Connie were searching the rest of the castle; and Armin and Christa had gone to the fields to look for flowers. After about an hour of searching, they congregated back in the dining room to display their discoveries.

"We found some old Scouting Regiment cloaks in the basement," said Betholt, opening one of the boxes they had brought up from the cellar. Inside were several neatly folded green cloaks, faded with age. "We can cut them into snowflakes like the one on the tree in Armin's book."

"We found some old 3DMG in the storage closet," said Mikasa, "we can take it apart and use the gears inside as ornaments too."

Armin and Christa come through the door, their arms full of poinsettias, holly, and evergreen branches. "Guys! Look at all the plants we found! This has got to be enough to decorate the place!" said Armin excitedly.

* * *

The Scouts got to work making the decorations. Annie and Mikasa cut out delicate snowflakes from the cloaks that Bertholt had found and hung them from the Christmas tree with pieces of yarn.

Reiner and Bertholt dissembled the old 3DMG and hung the gears on the tree in the same fashion as the snowflakes. Sasha made her way to the tree with a burlap sack in her arms.

"What's in the bag?" asked Reiner.

"Only the best Christmas ornaments ever!" she said as she dumped the contents of the bag onto the floor.

"POTATOES?! You've got to be kidding me!" said Reiner staring in disbelief at the lumpy brown potatoes scattered all over the floor.

"Well, we don't have cookies like they do in the picture, so potatoes are the next best thing. Plus if you get hungry, you can eat 'em!" she said taking a bite out of a raw potato.

"You're insane…" said Reiner.

Meanwhile, Christa and Ymir weaved the evergreen branches into wreaths.

"Look! Aren't these so much fun to make, Ymir?" said Christa, hold up her delicate arrangement of evergreen and holly.

Ymir held up her haphazardly crafted wreath that was falling apart in her hands, "Yeah…real fun." She said sarcastically.

"Oh, Ymir, let me help you with that," said Christa, taking the wreath into her hands and weaving the branches together, "You have to be gentle with them otherwise they come out looking like a bush!"

"Yeah. Kind of like the one between her legs," smirked Jean without looking up from the drawing he was working on.

"Why you…!"

"Ymir!" Christa shouted, grabbing Ymir's arm and pulling her back down to the ground where they were seated.

Eren had been quiet throughout most of the day. Something just hadn't sat well with him. Why had Jean saved him yesterday? Jean had to have known that it was Eren who had given him the horse poop for Christmas. So why had he still risked his life to save him? He walked over to where Jean was sitting and peer over his shoulder at the piece of paper Jean was drawing on.

"What are you looking at, Jaeger?" he asked without looking up. On the paper in front of him was a nearly complete drawing of a fat man with a red suit, a red hat, and a snowy white beard driving a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer flying though the sky. It was incredibly detailed and artfully drawn. As much as Eren hated to admit it, Jean was a real artist.

"What's that?" Eren asked, pointing to the drawing.

"It's Santa, dumbass. From what that book said, this what he's supposed to looked like. I made my own drawing of him. Might've been better if I had the supplies for it," indeed, he was drawing with a worn down piece of charcoal that was barely the size of his thumb. If he had had the proper art supplies, Jean might have been an amazing artist.

"Cool…Look I just wanted to ask you, why did you save me yesterday? I though you hated me?"

Jean stopped drawing and looked up at Eren, "don't think I'm trying to be buddies with you or anything. Matter of fact, you're right. I still hate you. But regardless, we're still comrades. And comrades watch each other's backs. Even when they piss each other off. That answer your question, Jaeger?"

Eren swallowed. "Yeah. Thanks Jean. For saving me, I mean." He said rubbing the back of his neck. What had he done?

"Don't get used to it," replied Jean, "It was just a tree. Next time it could be a titan and you might be shit out of luck."

Eren smiled a little, "Yeah, well, if that's the case then you don't need to worry about me. I'll be the one saving your ass."

"Guys, look at this!" Connie held up a long, popcorn garland.

"Whoa! That's amazing! How did you make that?!" said Bertholt.

"I popped some corn kernnels from the horse' feed and strung them together on the wire from the 3DMG you took apart. I know I'm a geni-SAHSA GET YOUR MOUTH OFF MY GARLAND!" Connie screamed as Sasha backed away from the other end of the garland, her mouth full of popcorn. "Anyway, I have one for the tree and one for the chandelier. Mikasa, you and Annie put this one on the tree, I'll put the other one on the chandelier."

"How are you going to do that? You don't have a ladder," said Mikasa.

"Easy, I'll use the 3DMG to hang from the ceiling."

"The stone is too old. It's not stable enough to hold you," said Annie.

"Relax, I got this," said Connie. He slung the garland over his shoulder, launched the end of his 3DMG into the ceiling next to the chandelier and reeled himself from the floor to the level of the chandelier. "See, what did I tell you? Piece of-AHHH!" at that moment, the end of the 3DMG fell out of the crumbling old stone, and Connie began to fall. But his fall was cut short when a piece of the chandler's metal caught on the seat of his pants, leaving him dangling in midair. "OH GOD! SOMEBODY! HELP! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" he screamed.

"Calm down Connie, just take your pants off and fall! We'll catch you!" said Reiner.

"I can't!"

"What are you talking about? Of course you can!"

"No I can't! I'm not wearing underwear!"

"Wait what?!"

"I ran out last week and I didn't get the chance to do laundry!"

"Ugh, you're filthy, Springer," drawled a familiar voice behind them. In the doorway stood Levi, Hanji, Erwin, and Armin. "Arlet told us you brats were decorating for Christmas, but he forgot to mention that you all lost your goddamn minds," said Levi, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're all stupid. We suck. We get it. Now can someone PLEASE get me down from here! I think my pants are going to rip."

Erwin chuckled, "Alright, I'll-"

"No, Erwin," said Levi, "I'll get him down. You just got back from your trip to the capital. No need to tire yourself on trivial matters. I'll get Springer down before he books us a room with a view. Not that there's probably much to see anyway."

Connie's ears turned pink as Levi shot both ends of his 3DMG deep into the ceiling and grabbed Connie around the waist, unhooking his pants from the chandelier. He lowered Connie to the ground, took the garland, reeled himself back up, and proceeded to loop the garland around the metal frame of the chandelier.

"Everything looks ah-mazing!" Said Hanji staring holding her arms out and spinning around the room. "When Armin told us you were decorating the castle I HAD to chip in! The book says people used to hang stockings by the fireplace, so I brought some!" Without hesitating, she started nailing 13 socks to the wall.

"…Those are my socks…" said Connie quietly.

"EW!" said Annie.

Levi finished hanging the garland and lowered himself to the floor. "Well, I think that's enough decorating for one day," he said, "Congratulations. You brats managed to make this place look even more like shit than it already did."

Levi might have been right. Between the ramshackle Christmas tree, the half-eaten garland, and Connie's dirty socks hanging from the walls, the place wasn't exactly a winter wonderland.

"Oh but Levi, look at these beautiful wreathes! And oh my God! Who drew this?!" said Hanji, holding up the drawing of Santa.

"I did, squad leader," said Jean.

"You drew this?! It's amazing! You've got some real talent, Jean!" said Hanji.

"Thank you," Jean replied with a small smile. Hanji proceeded to nail the finished work onto the wall next to the Christmas tree.

"Anyway, I found this in the cellar," said Armin holding up an elegant golden star laced with rubies and emeralds. "It was a circlet that I found in one of the boxes. Squad Leader Hanji helped me make it into a star to put on top of the Christmas tree."

"It's beautiful!" gasped Christa.

"Thanks. Commander Erwin, would you mind putting on top of the tree for us?"

Erwin smiled, "of course," He gently took the star into his thick hands and using his 3DMG, he swung to the ceiling and placed the star firmly on top of the tree. He reeled himself down and took a step back. "There. That should do it."

"Look! The stockings! There're presents in the stockings!" said Sasha pointing excitedly to the socks hanging on the wall. Sure enough, two of the stockings each held a wrapped package.

Armin examined the packages, "Christa, Annie, they're for you," he said offering them each their respective package.

They opened their packages and pulled out their gifts. Annie's eyes lit up and she pulled out a beautiful sky blue shawl made out of silk. The note on the package read, " _A beautiful shawl for a beautiful woman. Merry Christmas_." Annie smiled as she draped it around her shoulders and admired her reflection in the window. Christa opened her package and squealed in delight as she found a pair of bright red mittens. The note on the package read " _to hold your hand when it gets cold outside. Merry Christmas."_ Ymir read the note and snorted.

"Thank you, whoever you are! You're the best!" said Christa.

It was now a little after noon and sunlight was pouring in through the windows for the first time in weeks.

"Alright, you brats had your fun for the day, now time to start cleaning," said Levi.

"Hold on, Levi, I have an announcement to make," said Erwin, "Now that the snow has eased up, we can replenish our supplies. We'll be making a trip into town tomorrow. Those of you who haven't thought of a gift yet, I strongly suggest you come along so you can purchase one."

"Alright!" said the Scouts in unison.

"Don't get too excited. If this place isn't spotless by sunset, you'll all be staying here tomorrow and cleaning it again. So get to it," said Levi. With that everyone cleared the dining hall except for Eren, Armin, and Mikasa.

"So what you guys think? Do you think Christmas is going well so far?" asked Armin.  
"I can't say I know the difference. But it is different," said Mikasa.

"Yeah…" said Eren, "I think it's turning out alright." He looked up at the door frame that he and Armin were standing under. Above his head hung a bunch of small white flowers tied together with a red ribbon. "What's that?" he asked pointing to it.

"Mistletoe," said Armin, "You hang it from the doorframe and whenever two people stand under it together, they have to kiss."

"Oh," said Eren, "UGH!" he exclaimed, jumping back out from beneath the door frame. Armin and Mikasa laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey! I know it's been a few days but I'm back! So originally I planned on finishing this before Christmas but for the sake of keeping the integrity of the story and my own sanity during the holiday madness, it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I absolutely do plan on finishing it but it's just taking a bit more time than I originally thought. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer- Day 296 of trying to own Attack on Titan: still no success. Everything still belongs to Isayama Hijame and I own nothing.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Ice Cold

4 Days till Christmas

"Alright, brats, get a move on! I want to be able to see myself in those windows before sundown!" Levi barked at the new recruits as they scrambled to the supply closet. As they dashed down hall, he turned and walked outside to another one of his haunts: a wrap-around balcony that overlooked a large, frozen lake. The rays of the midday sun reflected off the ice and danced across the surface of the frozen water. _Finally, some peace and quiet._ He thought to himself. _Those brats are friggin ridiculous. Christmas decorations? Bah! What's next, roasting chestnuts on an open fire?_ But even though his hatred for Christmas burned in the pit of his stomach like ulcer, he had to give the Scouts credit for their determination. They might not have had any idea what they were doing, but god damn they were trying really freaking hard. Now only if they could put the same effort into their chores….

"Levi?" said a soft voice behind him. Levi turned to see Hanji standing behind him, holding a small wooden box.

"What do you want, shitty glasses?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Oh nothing. Just seeing what you're up to," she walked to the edge of the balcony and stood beside him. "Nice weather we're having today."

"Alright, what do you want?" Levi asked again.

"Wha-why do you think I want-?"

"You always ask about the weather before you ask for something."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do."

"Well if that's the case, then how come I haven't asked for anything?"

"Because you've haven't asked for it yet."

"Then how do you know I was going to ask for anything in the first place?"

"Because…you…ugh! Shut up, shitty glasses! You know I hate when you do this!" Levi snapped in frustration.

Hanji laughed, "and that's why you should never jump to conclusions, oh shrimpy one!"

"Did you just call me short?"

"Yup."

"Fuck you."

"Do you like how the new recruits decorated the dining hall?"

Levi cocked an eyebrow at her, "You changed the subject. And no. It looks like shit."

"You don't really mean that."

"And what makes you think I don't?"

"Because I know you."

Levi snorted. Oh so she knew him now, huh? Fuck that, no she didn't. "Really now? What makes you think you know me?"

"You like earl grey tea, you like to clean and train, your favorite color is blue, and you get defensive when you know you're wrong."

"Those are things I told you in the last 24 hours," said Levi, "that doesn't prove shit."

"You take walks when you're frustrated, you love animals more than people, and…" her voice trailed off.

"And what?" snapped Levi.

"You…you were hurt somehow, some way. And it has to do with why you hate Christmas."

Levi froze. His mind went blank.

"Like I said before, it's none of my business so if you don't want to talk about it, I get it. But I don't want you to have to feel like you have to hate Christmas because of it. I'm your friend and I don't like seeing you like this."

Friend? Him? I had thought of Hanji as a lot of things. A scientist, a soldier, a mad genius, a comrade, a leader…but a friend? What? Was she his friend? He had never stopped to consider it. Come to think of it, did he have any real friends at all anymore?

"I know, I'm probably the last person who you want as a friend," she said as if reading his thoughts. "I know, you do better on your own, and…well…I know I'm not the easiest person to be around. But, I'd give an arm and leg to make sure you're happy." She looked at him and gave him a small, hopeful smile.

He was speechless. Since, he had joined the Scouts, no one had even remotely tried to befriend him and he had long since stopped bothering to try to get to know them anyway. They all seemed to die as fast as they joined. But Hanji…she had always been there. He thought back to his first day as a Scout. She was the first person who had tried to show him kindness. Although she was eccentric, he could tell she meant well.

He swallowed, "Thanks..." he said at last, "but don't say that last part. You might jinx your luck." She smiled at him, wider this time. Levi paused, "what's in the box?" He asked.

Hanji's expression brightened, "oh! I completely forgot! Take a gander at these!" she took the lid off the box and held it out to show Levi its contents. Inside, were two brown pairs of ice skates.

"Ice skates…?" said Levi incredulously.

"Aren't they awesome?! I found them in the cellar when Armin and I were looking for a star. When I was a little girl I always wanted to go ice skating! So what do you say, Levi, want to go with me?!"

So that was what she wanted. "No." he replied flatly.

"Please, Levi! It'd be fun!"

"No."

"Oh come on! Have you ever been skating before?"

"No. And I'm not starting now."

Hanji's brown eyes grew wide behind her thick, dirty glasses, "Just this once Levi! Then I'll never ask again, I promise!"

Levi looked from her to skates and back to her again, "No, shitty glasses, I'm not going ice skating and that's final."

* * *

Why was he ice skating? Why was he standing, freezing cold on the ice teetering from side to side trying to keep his balance? What had made him say yes to this stupidity? Was it the way she pleaded with him for ten minutes straight? Was it the way her big brown eyes began to well up with tears? The way she smiled like a kid in a candy store when he reluctantly agreed? Whatever the reason, here he was and there was no way out of it.

"Ahhhh!" Hanji shrieked as the tottered dangerously on the ice. For someone so coordinated on the 3DMG, she was a real klutz on the ice.

"You look stupid, shitty glasses," drawled Levi.

"Oh yeah! I'd like to see you try!" She snapped back.

Levi cocked his head, "Fine!" he said. He balanced himself on the inner arches of his feet and pushed his right leg forward. Then his left leg, then his right again. He lost his balance a bit at first but after the third or fourth stride his body adapted and he glided gracefully across the ice to where Hanji stood with her mouth open.

"How did you…?" she said, aghast."

"First, you have to find your balance. After that it's easy. Just imagine you're on the 3DMG."

"Ok that's easy!" She said. She stood up straight, pushed her right leg forward, and screamed as she fell backward onto her bottom. "Ack! You make this look easy!" she said looking at the ice.

He could've made a joke or a sarcastic comment at her, but somehow it didn't seem right. "Here," he offered her his hand, "come on get up."

She looked at his hand for a second and took it. He helped her off the ice and back onto her feet.

"Like I said, the first step is to find your balance. For me, it's on the inner arches of my feet. Then, you push one foot forward while keeping your weight on that center of balance. Here, try it now." He grasped her small, warm hands in his and held her arms out. "I've got you."

Hanji teetered slightly as she found her balance. She took a breath and pushed her right foot forward.

"Good, now the other foot," said Levi. She pushed her left foot forward. "Good, now do it again." She did this several times before she seemed to get her balance. "Ok, I'm going to let go now." Levi let go of her hands and Hanji skated three strides before crashing onto her butt.

"Ugh! Still not there yet!" She pouted. It wasn't like her to get frustrated like this.

"…ok let's try this then," Levi helped her up again and instead of holding her hands, he moved around to her back and put both hands on her waist, "ok, go again, if you mess up, I'll catch you."

Hanji laughed a bit, "Well isn't this romantic," she said sarcastically.

"Don't get any ideas," Levi said he gently guided her across the ice. "This is what you wanted after all, the ice skating, I mean."

"Yeah…when I was little, I always wanted to go ice skating but I never had the chance where I lived."

"Where did you live?" asked Levi.

"A small village just outside Trost. It was quaint but I left as soon as I was old enough to join the troops. I guess you could say I was never much of a small town girl."

"I'm guessing you always did the whole gift exchange shit around Christmas time when you were growing up, then?"

"Oh yes. But more than that, my family was pretty big and we were always so busy that we never got to spend much time together during the year. Christmas was one of the only days of the year where we got to sit down, cook a meal, play games, and just talk. About our day, about our lives…It was just nice to feel like a family, you know?"

Levi swallowed, "No. Actually, I don't. I never had a family. I never knew my father and my mother died when I was young. I was an orphan in the streets of the Underground City. Every year, I had to watch the other children get presents form outside their windows. Some years, it was so cold and food was so scarce I was just lucky to be alive." He had never told anyone in the Scouting Regiment that before.

Hanji stopped skating and turned around to face him. There was a soft expression in her eyes, "Levi. I'm sorry, I…never knew. It must have been hard."

Levi, looked at her. She was taller than him. Her unkempt hair blew across her face. But that soft, empathetic look in her eyes said everything he needed to hear without saying a word. She didn't know his life story, and she might never know every detail of it, but she was there. For him. That was more than almost anyone had done for him. "Thank you…" he said softly.

"You're welcome," she said. There was a curious gleam in her eyes as she smiled.

Suddenly, Levi realized his hands were still around her waist. Embarrassed, he quickly took them off and put them behind his back.

"Whoa!" Hanji began to teeter dangerously on the ice. Levi tried to grab her hand, but she fell backward onto a thin piece of ice and CRACK she fell straight through the ice into the frigid black water.

"HANJI!" screamed Levi. He stuck his hand into the water and felt her grasp it. He pulled sharply and her head popped out of the inky black water as she gasped for breath. Levi pulled her out and onto the ice. Her teeth chattered and she shivered violently. "Are you ok?!" he asked kneeling down next to her. She nodded and brushed a wet strand of hair out of her eye. Levi placed his jacket around her shoulders, "Come on, let's get you back to the castle." He said helping her up off the ice.

* * *

Levi sighed. He was back at his spot on the balcony. He had escorted Hanji back up to the castle and to the women's bathroom about half an hour ago. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt about the whole situation. He was the one who let her fall. But she shouldn't have gotten up in his face like that. That crazy, smelly woman…this was her fault. If she hadn't gotten it into her stupid head to get those skates….But that look in her eyes right before he let go...it was so soft and sincere. He had never seen her look at anyone like that before.

"Doing alright, Levi?" asked a deep voice. Next to him stood Erwin, staring out at the icy lake in front of them.

"Fine," Levi replied.

"How was your first ice skating excursion?"

Levi stiffened. "How did you know about that?"

"Well let's see? Was it the skates in the garbage? Or the wet footprints in the hall? Or maybe that hole in ice? Take your pick," he said with a laugh.

"That was her fault. She was the one who wanted to do it in the first place."

"But you went along with it didn't you?" Levi didn't respond. "I have to wonder why. It's not like you to do something so…whimsical."

"She was persistent."

"She's your partner for the Secret Santa isn't she?"

"How did you know?"

"The face you made that day said it all."

Levi sighed, "I can't hide shit from you, can I?"

Erwin laughed, "Sometimes, but not always. So have you thought about what you are going to give her?" Levi didn't answer. Erwin looked at him, "I take that as a no."

"What am I supposed to get her? I don't know her."

"Hanji's a tricky one. For as long as I've known her, she's never cared much for trinkets or clothes. She doesn't always act like it, but apart from her research, the most important things to her are the people around her."

Levi paused, "I never taken her for a people person."

"Neither did I at first. But underneath the rough exterior, she's got a heart of gold. Kind of like someone else I know," Erwin gave Levi a side long smile.

"Shut up," said Levi, "So what do I get her?"

"Well…something related to the values she holds dear. A book or a new journal for her field experiments? Maybe a fountain pen? She goes through those rather quickly."

"She mentioned her family. Something about how Christmas was when they would spend time together."

Erwin frowned, "She mentioned her family? Interesting…."

"You know anything about her family?"

"No," said Erwin flatly.

"Are you sure about that?" said Levi suspiciously.

"Yes," Erwin replied adverting his gaze, "I must go. I have some important paperwork to file before tomorrow," he turned on heel and walked toward to the door. Levi's eyes followed him. Erwin reached for the door and stopped, without looking back at Levi, he said "If you want to find a suitable gift, I suggest you come with us to town tomorrow. I think it would do you good." With that he walked through the door back into the castle.

Levi stared for a moment at the spot where Erwin disappeared. That was suspicious. He had to know something. But what? No use in wondering about it now. The sun was low in the sky and it would soon be dinner time. The balcony he was standing on wrapped around the length of the castle and led to a short cut to his room. He began to walk down the length of the balcony. As he walked he wondered to himself, c _ome to think of it, I've never heard Hanji talk about her family before. And what was with that look she gave me? For a second she almost looked…no. No. No. NO. Hanji? Attractive? Nev-_

His thoughts were interrupted as he passed a window at the back of the castle. Behind the glass, was a woman with thick, luxurious brunette hair that cascaded down her back in long, damp strands. She had her back towards him and wore only a towel around herself. He stared in awe as she let the towel drop. With her back still facing him, she put on bra and underwear. She had a tall, slender, muscular build and a small waist. He couldn't see her chest but damn…her ass enough to make a titan stop and stare. She turned her head slightly and he saw the profile of her face. She had delicate features and pale skin. There was only one word he could think of to describe her: beautiful. Who was this woman and why was she in the castle? Levi could have sworn he had never seen her before. At that moment, she reached for something on a dresser and put on a pair of wire rimmed glasses. She turned around. Levi's mouth fell open as he found himself staring at Hanji. And she was staring right back at him. Hanji shrieked and grabbed the towel in an attempt to cover herself. Levi covered his eyes and bolted in the direction towards his room. He could feel his cheeks turning red hot has he yanked open the castle door and dashed back to his room. How was he supposed to face Hanji after this? He was so screwed.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay for more LeviHan! And for Erwin. You know the drill, reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I still own nothing. Oh well. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Feelings

4 Days till Christmas

Armin stopped in his tracks and spun around, "Did you guys hear that?" he asked, peering down the hall.

Mikasa turned to face him, "Hear what?" she inquired.

"It sounded like someone screaming. Maybe we should check it out?" Armin suggested.

"I didn't hear anything," replied Eren, "come on, we're gonna be late for dinner."

* * *

Hanji's mind was racing as she scrambled to put on her clothes. She wasn't easily embarrassed but could feel her face flushing cherry red as she hastily shoved her arms into the sleeves of her white button down.

 _How the hell did he see me?! I knew I should have pulled curtains before I left! Oh God, what if he tells the others?! He probably thinks I'm hideous…!_ She fumbled with the buttons of her shirt and took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself. _Maybe he wasn't there for long. He probably just saw me for a split second in my underwear. Yeah, that's it. Maybe-_ her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on her door. "GO AWAY, LEVI!" she barked.

"It's me, Erwin," replied a deep voice on the other side of the door.

Hanji froze for half a second, "Erwin!" she shrieked. She hastily zipped up her pants and yanked open the door. "I'm so sorry, Erwin, I-"

"Hanji, calm down. It's just me. Everything, uh, alright?" He asked, eyeing her with mild concern. The buttons on her shirt were miss matched, her hair was a flyaway mess, and her glasses were crooked. Looked like even more of a hot mess than usual.

"Yeah, fine…" she replied quickly, "What…erm…what brings you here?"

"Well, I was originally stopping by to pick up the report you had for me, but then I heard _someone_ screaming bloody murder."

"Oh God, please don't tell me you heard that…."

"I wouldn't be surprised if the entire castle did."

Hanji sighed, "Well shit…" she said, biting her lip.

Erwin raised an eyebrow at her, "do you mind if I come in?"

Hanji looked up at him, "Yeah, come in. Make yourself at home."

* * *

"Are you going to eat your bread?" asked Sasha, eyeing the untouched loaf of bread on Eren's plate.

"Nah, you can have it," he replied, pushing it towards her.

"Yes!" she said exclaimed, shoving the stale loaf into her mouth.

"The dining hall looks great! I think we really outdid ourselves, guys!" Christa said with a smile as she looked admiringly at the decorations around the room.

"Yeah, it does. Armin, you've really been on a roll with these Christmas ideas," said Reiner giving Armin a smile.

"Thanks," said Armin, returning the smile. "I think I'm finally starting to understand what Christmas is about."

"Well, what is it?" asked Annie.

"I think Christmas is a time for giving gifts to your loved ones to show them how much you care."

"And what about the decorations and the tree?" inquired Mikasa.

"My guess is that before the fall, people believed that the decorations would help attract Santa. Santa would then leave more gifts under the tree for children who were good the past year. At least, that's what it says in the book," said Armin taking a bite of his turnips.

"I guess it sounds plausible," said Bertholt thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about? It sounds like a bunch of bologna!" interjected Jean, "there's no way this Santa guy could possibly have been real!"

"Maybe it's like Captain Levi said, maybe he was some kind of deity or a god or something," added Sasha.

"Or maybe he was figment of their imaginations and it was the kids' parents putting presents under the tree the whole time," Jean replied sharply, "seriously, do you guys hear yourselves? You sound like a bunch of lunatics! I mean, come on! A fat man who slides down chimneys to leave presents under a tree? Give me a break! You don't honestly believe that do you?"

"Well if that's not what Christmas is, then what you think it is, Jean?" asked Christa.

"I think Christmas is one big government set up. Think about it, it's the one day of the year where everyone spends their money on shit they don't need for people they don't care about. And you know who the taxes on that money go to? The king. And you know who stuffs his pockets with that money? The king. Christmas is just a fiscal ploy so the king can hire a couple hundred new chambermaids ever year."

"I mean…logistically speaking Jean does have a point…" said Connie.

"But that can't be all that Christmas is about!" protested Armin, "apart from those of us who haven't bought gifts yet, none of us have spent a dime this year and we're still celebrating Christmas!"

"Yeah, Armin got you there, Jean," Reiner said teasingly with crooked smile.

Jean gritted his teeth and glared at Reiner, "No one asked you!" he snapped.

Reiner looked taken aback "Wha! I didn't-" he hadn't even finished his sentence when Mikasa slammed her cup on the table.

She glared from Reiner to Jean, "Shut up. Both of you," She snarled dangerously, "There's no reason to fighting over nothing." The venom in her voice made the room go silent.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed," Jean grumbled as he rose from his seat and stomped toward the door.

"Sheesh…What's his problem?" muttered Reiner.

* * *

"Sorry, excuse the mess," murmured Hanji as she ushered Erwin into her room.

"It's quite alright. It looks the same as usual," he replied nonchalantly. To say Hanji's quarters were a bit untidy was an understatement. Books, clothes, paper, and discarded fountain pens littered the floor. Her bed was unmade and the sheets smelled like they hadn't been washed in weeks. But the crown jewel of Hanji's room was her desk. On it, papers were piled up to Hanji's elbows. A multitude of used plates and cups were piled into one corner while a microscope and several broken glass slides occupied another. No one besides Hanji would have been able to find anything on that desk, but she dug through the papers for half a minute and found the exact folder that she was looking for.

"Here, sorry it's late," she said handing it to Erwin.

"Thank you," said Erwin, placing it into the pocket of his jacket. "You seem tense. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah…yeah I'm fine…" breathed Hanji, "just a bit…uh…flustered."

"It wouldn't have something to do with Levi would it?"

Hanji flinched, "WHA-?! No! Of course not! Why would it?!" she sputtered.

Erwin tilted his head, "…Because you shouted, 'go away, Levi,' when I knocked on your door."

"Oh…right. I don't even want to talk about that disgusting peeper right now," she said crossing her arms.

"Peeper?" echoed Erwin.

"That's right. I'm in my room getting dressed and I turn around and that PERV is staring at me through the window!"

The corner of Erwin's mouth twitched, "Oh...that's…terrible," he said, trying to suppress a laugh.

"It's not funny!" exclaimed Hanji, "Who does he think he is?! Acting like an angry midget, hating Christmas, ripping me a new one every other day about every damn thing I do… and then he goes and PEEPS on me?! What the hell?! Who does he think he is?!

"Hanji…"

"I mean after all I've done for him, trying to nice, trying to include in stuff…I even offered let him help me Sonny and Bean's pain trials!"

"Hanji…"

"I work my ass off for that dickhead and I'm lucky if I get a snarky comment out of him! He never even looked twice at me and then all of sudden he's holding my hand on the ice and staring me naked! Who the hell does he think he is?!"

"Hanji…"

"He's got some real freakin' nerve! Why I ought to-!"

"HANJI!" Erwin said loudly, "Calm down! It's ok. You don't have to hide your feelings anymore."

"My…feelings?" Hanji said slowly.

"You've had feelings for Levi for a while now, haven't you?"

Hanji hung her arms at her sides and stared at the floor. "How long have you known?" she asked quietly.

"I've had my suspicions for months. But earlier he said that you mentioned your family to him and after that I knew."

Hanji choked up, "I'm so stupid…" she said quietly as her eyes began to tear up.

Erwin looked at her sympathetically. Hanji was always so exuberant and happy go lucky. To her even remotely upset was out of character. Seeing her cry was of the question. But here she was, standing in the middle of her unkempt room with her hair a mess and her clothes mismatched, crying into the palms of her hands.

Erwin put an arm around her shoulder and offered her a handkerchief. "It's ok Hanji. Let it out. You've held it in for far too long."

Hanji dabbed her cheeks with the handkerchief, "Do you…do you think he knows?" she asked, accepting the handkerchief.

"I doubt it," Erwin replied, "are you planning on telling him?"

"No," she said flatly, "why would I? So I can watch him laugh in my face or…make some wise ass comment and blow me off like I'm nothing?"

"You don't know if that's going to happen."

"Yes I do! This isn't some new recruit or some dimwitted idiot that we're talking about, it's Levi! Humanity's strongest, for crying out loud! Why would someone like him, someone so strong, and calm, and confident, and…handsome, want someone like me?"

"What are you talking about, Hanji?"

"Don't act like you don't get it, Erwin. I know what the troops think of me. They say that I'm the obnoxious, titan obsessed woman who is bat shit crazy…and ugly. And they're right. So how could someone like him POSSIBLY want someone like me?" her voice cracked and she blew her nose into the handkerchief.

"Hanji," Erwin said gently yet firmly, "look at me," Hanji looked at Erwin with her red, puffy eyes, "You're not ugly and you're not crazy. You're human just like the rest of us. We all have our flaws. But you are the smartest and most genuine people I know and I don't ever want to hear you sell yourself short again. Not for Levi, and not for anyone. Any man in the world would be lucky to have someone like you. Especially Levi."

"You…you mean it?" asked Hanji.

"Of course," said Erwin giving her a smile.

"I know I'm being childish but ever since my family…well…you know…Levi has been the only person to make me feel whole again. Like I can forget the pain. Even if it's just for a half a minute when he's in the room…" she said quietly.

Erwin's face darkened. "Have you told him everything about them?"

"No," she replied, "and I don't plan to. Not any time soon at least."

"I see."

"I still hear at night. In my dreams. I can hear them calling out to me…begging me to come for them…" Hanji's voice trailed off.

Erwin pulled her into an embrace, "I know. I'm sorry. But it doesn't do you well to dwell on the past. I'm still the only person in the Scouting Legion who knows and your secret is safe with me."

"You promise?"

"Promise." Erwin sniffed, "What's that smell?" he asked.

"Probably me," muttered Hanji, "I know, I stink."

"No, quite the opposite actually. Did you bathe?"

"Yes."

"You should do it more often," Erwin gave her a crooked smile.

"Thanks, asshole," said Hanji letting out a tiny laugh.

"Alright, I better get going. Are you coming to dinner?" asked Erwin.

"No, I'm not hungry. But thanks…for everything," said Hanji giving him a small smile.

"You're welcome," Erwin turned toward the door. As he reached for the doorknob he stopped. "If you want my advice, not as your commander, but as your friend, tell Levi how you feel."

"What?" said Hanji incredulously.

"We're not children, Hanji. You know the world we live in better than anyone else. You know there's a good chance we may not even be alive tomorrow. So would you rather die never knowing the answer to your heart's desire, or die knowing and being at peace with the answer?" Hanji didn't respond. "Think about it. Oh, and I'm guessing you haven't gotten Levi his gift yet?"

"No. But I know what I'm going to get him. I just need to go into town to get it," Hanji mused, fixing her glasses, "Wait! How did you know Levi was my partner for the Secret Santa?!"

Erwin laughed, "Lucky guess. Come with us into town tomorrow. I think some fresh air might do you good." With that, he left. The door creaked shut behind him leaving Hanji alone in the dim light of her messy quarters.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter ended up being a little more angsty than I originally planned but it was necessary for the next few chapters to make sense. I promise, it will pick back up and be funny again in the next one! So keep checking back! The Scouting Regiment will be heading into town for some Christmas shopping in the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello! Sorry for the delay but I'm back! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! Right now, it is New Year's Eve and I'm currently on a 14 hour plane ride from the US to Hong Kong! I'm super stoked about this little vacation AND the flight is giving me plenty of time to write. Win/win situation! With that said, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer- Santa: what would you like for Christmas?**

 **Me: Attack on Titan**

 **Santa: Me too, dear, me too.**

 **So I still don't own anything. Boo.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Christmas Shopping

3 Days till Christmas

"Last one into town has to muck out the stalls!" shouted Connie, nudging his pony in the flanks with the heels of his boots.

"Oh hell no! You're on!" teased Sasha, giving her speckled quarter horse a sharp tap as she sped to catch up with him.

"Don't get too far ahead! We have to stick together in case we run into titans!" Hollered Erwin. For the first time in weeks the weather was absolutely beautiful. A blanket of snow covered the grass like icing on cake while a gentle flurry softly tugged at their hair. The Scouting Legion was heading into a small trading village about 5 miles outside of Trost. Although the main objective of the trip was to replenish the supplies and rations that had been depleted during the storm, the Scouts had another objective in mind: Christmas shopping.

"Isn't it great that we finally get to have some fun? It feels like it's been forever since we've had the chance to just be regular people," said Christa.

"Don't get too excited. Remember, we are here to get supplies. If you have any money left over, then you can spend it however you want," warned Mikasa.

"Yeah, well I'd like to see those fuckers try to tell me how to spend my money," drawled Ymir.

"Yeah, Mikasa, don't be such a stick in the mud," said Eren, "We all know the real reason why we're here. Christmas gifts aren't going to just appear under the Christmas tree."

"According to Armin they might," muttered Jean.

"I never said that!" Protested Armin.

"Yeah, well I wish they did. I'm broke!" whined Sasha.

"We all are," added Annie, "We're soldiers not merchants. We'll be lucky if we have enough money to buy the supplies much less Christmas gifts."

"Let's not give up before we even start. I'm sure we'll all find something for a decent price," said Bertholt hopefully.

"I hope so," replied Armin.

"Look! There it is!" said Reiner pointing to the outline of a small village about 2 miles away.

"So what are we waiting for, let's get a move on!" said Ymir, nudging her chestnut horse forward.

"Wait up, Ymir!" shouted Christa. She and the other Scouts followed suit as they sped to toward the village.

"Slow down, brats! You heard the Commander, you get too far ahead and you'll be titan shit before sun down," Levi shouted at the new recruits, but it was no use. They were already out of earshot and were quickly closing the distance between themselves and the village leaving Levi, Erwin, and Hanji behind. Levi and Erwin kept pace at a steady trot but Hanji kept her distance. She was several feet in front of them. She kept her head straight forward and her back toward them, refusing to acknowledge their presence. Or more likely, just Levi's.

"Kids these days," chuckled Erwin.

"Tch. Yeah, kids these days…they don't make 'em like they used to," added Levi.

"No they don't," laughed Erwin, "so have you thought of a gift to get for Hanji?"

How did he know Erwin was going to ask him that? "No," Levi replied simply.

"Still drawing a blank, huh?"

"Sure."

"Well I would have thought that after yesterday you two would have learned a little bit more about each other."

"Why the hell would you come to a stupid conclusion like that?"

"Just a hunch. After all, when you spend time with someone you tend to learn the _naked_ truth about them," said Erwin with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Levi stiffened, did he know about yesterday's incident?

"Of course, I'm sure it isn't easy to _strip_ away that icy exterior of yours, Levi."

Dear God, he hoped he was just being paranoid.

Erwin continued, "but I'm sure once someone breaks through it, they'd be able to get a pretty good _peek_ at the real you."

Fuck…he knew. "Alright, cut the crap, Erwin, what did Hanji tell you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Levi. But speaking of Hanji, have you spoken with her since yesterday?"

Levi sighed, "No." As a matter of fact, Levi hadn't heard her speak to anyone all day. She had remained quiet throughout the trip, pointedly avoiding eye contact with him. Not only was this completely out of character for her but it had also made the trip seem longer. He had gotten used to her animated chatter.

"I see," said Erwin, "Well, can't say that I'm an expert on women, but judging from the appearance of things, I do believe that means she's mad at you."

"Thank you, Commander Obvious," Levi said through gritted teeth. He was beginning to lose his patience. "It's not my fault that Four Eyes doesn't know how to close the curtains!"

Erwin snickered. Levi turned his head and glared at him, "So you did know…" He said venomously.

"Of course I know," said Erwin, "I also know that you're conflicted."

"I'm not conflicted about anything."

"So you say. But if that were really the case, you wouldn't have been staring at her this whole time."

Erwin was observant if nothing else.

"That doesn't prove shit," Levi said flatly.

"Levi…how do you feel about Hanji?"

Ok, now he was overstepping his boundaries. "Listen, Erwin. If I wanted a therapist, I would've asked for one. How I feel about that four eyed nut job is none of your concern."

"But it is," said Erwin seriously.

Levi narrowed his eyes at him, "and why is that?"

"Let me be frank, Levi, I don't care what goes on in either of your personal lives but what happens on a mission IS my concern. If a titan were to attack us at this moment, do you honestly think that you and Hanji would be able to function as a proper team?" Levi averted his eyes. "Exactly my point. I don't give a damn about what goes on between you and Hanji, but when it could potentially put the rest of the Survey Corps in jeopardy, it's my duty to tell you to do something about it. If you let your feelings get in the way, we could all pay the price. Understood?"

"First off, I do NOT have feelings for her. Second, what the hell am I supposed to do about it? She's the one who's pissed off. Third, why the hell isn't she getting lectured?"

"Well for one because you are the one who pissed her off and you don't get to decide that you didn't piss her off. As for what you should do about it, that's none of my concern either. Although I'm told apologizing often works," said Erwin pointedly. "Oh, and I never said that you had feeling for Hanji."

"Of course you-wait what?" Levi sputtered.

Erwin smirked. By now, they were standing at the entrance of the village. "The troops will split up amongst themselves while I pick up the order of new 3DMG from the distribution facility. We'll meet back here in three hours. Good day, Levi." With that, Erwin nudged his white stallion and galloped off into the village. Levi looked around, Hanji was trying up her horse to one of the posts.

Hanji didn't look at him as she busied herself with the reins but she could feel his piercing stare on her and it was taking everything in her not to turn red. Why did he have to have that effect on her? She was a grown woman for God's sake. She kept replaying what Erwin had told her the previous night in her head, "tell him how you feel…" But how? How could she tell him how she felt when she already knew his answer? No. It was easier to be angry. She would put up her guard and keep the stony exterior she had constructed for herself this morning. It was just easier this way.

Levi stared at her. Erwin had made himself clear and logically stand point he was right. He had to say something. But what? He dismounted next to her but before he could say a word, she strode off and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

"Look at all this cool stuff!" exclaimed Connie! The new recruits had already entered the market and were gazing wide eyed at the vast assortment of stands. Dried fruit, livestock, tools, and furniture of all sorts surrounded them. The array colors and smells overwhelmed their senses giving them an exhilarating rush of energy.

"LOOK AT ALL THIS FOOD!" exclaimed Sasha looking lovingly at a stand selling warm, fresh baked bread.

"Try not to piss yourself, Sasha. We need to get the stuff on the list that Erwin gave us and then we can fuck around all we want," said Jean.

"Well what do we need to get?" asked Bertholt.

Jean unfolded a piece of paper and began to read, "Medical supplies, rations, horse hay and horseshoes. We'll divide into groups, get what we need, and meet back here in three hours. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah we got it. Come on, Connie, we're getting the rations!" said Sasha, staring hungrily at the food stands.

"Like hell you will! You and Connie are coming with me to get the hay and horseshoes. Bertholt, Reiner, Annie, Ymir and Christa will get the medical supplies while Mikasa, Armin, and Jaeger get the rations," stated Jean.

"Sounds good!" said Bertholt as he and his assigned group headed in the direction of the apothecary tents.

"Yeah, he would get the horse stuff," Eren snickered as he, Armin, and Mikasa walked toward the food carts.

* * *

"So what kind of rations are we supposed to get anyway?" asked Eren.

"The same stuff we get served for dinner every night," replied Armin. "You know, potatoes, turnips, bread, dried fruit..."

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about that crap…" Erin said making a face.

"Don't complain. You never finish your dinner anyway," said Mikasa. In her hands was a bushel of carrots and radishes. "I got these a very decent price, so stop whining and get shopping."

"Yeah, AND you got checked out by a perverted old guy," said Eren, glaring at the dirty old man who had sold Mikasa the vegetables and whom was now blatantly staring at her butt with a creepy smile. "Come on, let's go," said Eren, ushering Mikasa and Armin away from the stand. "Do you guys need to get your gifts?" he asked.

"No, we got ours from the cellar," replied Armin looking around at the various stands, "Let's stop here, those salted fish are pretty cheap," he said pointing to a stand where a petite old woman with silver hair was selling salted herring by the pound. "What about you, Eren?" Armin inquired, examining one of the fish.

"Nah, I'm good," replied Eren.

"So far, everyone has gotten really great stuff," said Mikasa, "Well, except for Jean, that is."

"Oh yeah," replied Armin, "poor guy, that must've sucked."

"What are you talking about? That was hilarious!" exclaimed Eren, "that guy had it coming. It was only a matter of time before somebody gave him what he deserved."

"Eren!" gasped Armin, "No one deserves to get horse manure for Christmas."

"And this is coming from the guy who said that Santa gives coal to bad kids? Get real, the guy's a shithead and shitheads eventually get what's coming for them."

"Maybe Jean isn't most agreeable person in the world but he would never hurt a fly," protested Armin. "He's been going off at me all week about this Christmas thing, but I'm not mad. Why can't you guys just try to get along?"

"Because I don't go around talking shit about everyone I know. He's rude, impulsive, and doesn't give a damn about anyone else besides himself."

"No. The reason you two don't get along is because you two are exactly the same," interjected Mikasa.

"WHAT?! NO! I am nothing like that son of a bitch!" snapped Eren.

"Don't get loud with me!" retorted Mikasa, "You two are mirror images of each other. You are both impulsive, hard headed, strong willed, and ambitious. The only difference is that Jean comes from a different upbringing than you. He may never have experienced the same suffering we did when Shiganshina fell, but I doubt his life was easy either. We all fight our own battles Eren, you should know this by now."

"Why the hell are you sticking up for him?!" argued Eren, "You're supposed to be on my side."

"I'm not taking sides, I'm telling you what you need to hear," snapped Mikasa, "No one is saying you have to like Jean, but you two are comrades and mutual respect is expected of both you."

"Mikasa's right," said Armin, "You have different opinions but you're very much the same. I think if you guys could just get over that…well, you guys might even be friends."

"Alright, now you guys have completely lost it!" exclaimed Eren, "Even if by some crazy chance we did have one or two things in common, there's no way I could be friends with someone who only gives a damn about saving his own hide!"

"That's not true either! You saw it for yourself. Are you forgetting who saved you when you almost got crushed by that tree?" exclaimed Armin.

Eren fell silent.

Armin wasn't done yet, "I know you guys don't like each other but think about all the times you and your parent's didn't get along when were in Shiganshina. Remember that one time when we were little and you ran away from home for five days straight? When you came home they hugged you and gave you a brand new rocking horse. Even when you knew you screwed up, they welcomed you back and showered you with gifts because they cared about you and wanted you to have a merry Christmas. Even if you and Jean will never see eye to eye, he still cares enough about you to risk his life for you. That's something you ought to be thankful for."

Eren swallowed. How could he forget that time? He had been five years old and he had gotten into an argument with his mom when he refused to eat his vegetables. He ran away from home to Armin's house where he spent the next five days until he grew homesick. He would never forget the look of relief on his mother's face when she scooped him up in her arms and spun him around telling him how worried she was and how happy she was that he was home. It had been two days before Christmas and even though at the time he was convinced all he would be getting for Christmas was 20 lashes from his father's belt, instead he woke up on Christmas morning to a shiny new rocking horse. In retrospect, it must have cost his father about a month's worth of wages. It began to dawn on Eren that maybe Jean wasn't the only shithead in the world….

"Um…pardon me, darlings, can I help you with anything?" inquired the shopkeeper.

"Oh…um yeah…" Eren said slowly, suddenly remembering where he was, "yeah…er…we'll take a bushel full." The trio paid the shop keeper and went about their way.

"We still have some time left before we have to head back. Want to check out the horses they have for sale?" asked Armin.

"You guys go on ahead. I have some stuff I have to take care of," said Eren.

"Uh ok everything alright?" probed Armin.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Alright, well, you know where to find us," said Armin as Eren walked off.

Had he really sunk so low that even his best friends thought his prank was rotten? Damn. That was cold. But maybe there was a way he could make it better. He had to hurry though. He was running through the marketplace past shoppers and merchants alike but he knew what he was looking for. He came to an abrupt halt when he found the shop that he was looking for. He stepped inside the cloth tent and the pungent smell of burning incense assaulted his nostrils. He looked around the shop and found the thing he was looking for enclosed in a glass case.

"Can I help you, kid?" drawled the bearded artisan shopkeeper as he took a long draw from a wooden pipe.

Eren pointed at the object behind the glass, "How much for that?" he panted.

The shopkeeper blew a cloud of smoke into Eren face causing him cough. The shopkeeper smiled revealing five golden teeth, "15 silver pieces," he drawled.

"15?! Are you nuts?! I'll give you 10!" exclaimed Eren.

"For a prize like this? I'll make you a deal and give it you for 14."

"You call that a deal?! I'll give you 11!" retorted Eren.

The shopkeeper laughed, "You really that desperate kid? Too bad. 14 is the lowest I'll go."

Eren glared at him, "listen, sir, I've had a really bad day and I'm not in the mood to haggle. I can 12 and that's final."

"Well you're out of luck kid. 14 or nothing. Why you want it so bad anyway?"

"It's not for me! It's for…it's for a friend…" Eren said looking at the ground.

"Ah! I see now! You got yourself a lady friend, huh? I respect that. I like your style kid. 12 silver pieces it is."

"Uh…sure…" said Eren handing the shopkeeper the money.

"Good luck, kid. If she doesn't love you already, she will now," said the shopkeeper giving Eren a toothy grin.

"Yeah…thanks…" said Eren as he left with his purchase. _Whatever works_ …he thought.

* * *

 **A/N: More shopping adventures soon to come! :]**


End file.
